Watch - CCTV footage of moment Britain's oldest hotel went up in flames

Dramatic new video footage has been released showing terrified guests fleeing the Royal Clarence Hotel in their nightgowns as burning embers rained down from the night sky. The scary moment the historic Exeter hotel was evacuated was captured on CCTV pictures from Cathedral Yard and released by the council on the six-month anniversary of the blaze.

A large area of the city centre was cordoned off for days while emergency services tackled the blaze, which destroyed what was claimed to be the oldest hotel in England.

Fire broke out above the Castle Fine Art gallery where renovation work was under way on Friday, October 28, before spreading to the Well House Tavern, a cafe and the 18th century coaching inn.

Joe is a freelance journalist who writes news and features for national newspapers and a variety of magazine titles. He studied Economics and Politics at the University of Manchester and also has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.